


Blue cheese

by Sheffield



Series: Dark!Gregor [5]
Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2013-07-24
Packaged: 2017-12-21 06:11:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/896778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheffield/pseuds/Sheffield
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not dead; but as good as.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blue cheese

“He hasn’t killed anyone, so far as I’m aware,” Simon Illyan said.   
Since they’d removed the chip he was able to follow conversations and had, finally, started to be able to report back on what had been happening in Vorbar Sultana before he’d woken up and found himself in exile.  
“Not even me,” he added, trying for a lightening of the mood.

Cordelia sat back with her arms folded, looking as stricken as she had when the Grey Mule exploded a week ago and Aral glanced at her with concern before gently correcting: “The shuttle crew are dead, Simon. If we’re right, and Gregor arranged for the pilot to suicide to block our Escobar-Beta wormhole route, then those deaths are on him.”  
“Not to mention we still don’t know what happened to Ivan,” Alys said.

“Yes. I’m very worried about Ivan,” Aral said. “If Gregor has really... gone the Yuri route, then Ivan is in grave danger. Are you sure he couldn’t have... I don’t know. Gone to ground somewhere, perhaps? If he’d had advanced warning, maybe from one of your people, Alys?”  
“I heard nothing, Aral. None of my network had even an inkling anything was wrong with Gregor. One day Ivan was missing, a week later Haroche replaced Simon, and the next I was “sick” and being hustled off planet. The only one of my agents I hadn’t heard from during that time period was Byerly, and so far as I’m aware he was off in the back country visiting Lady Donna. It came from no-where, Aral.”  
“Could it have been the Cetas?” Simon wondered for the twelfth time.

“Enough,” Cordelia said, standing up. “You’re all forgetting the obvious. None of us is dead, right enough. But from Barrayar’s point of view we’re as out of the picture as if we were. The Grey Mule has cut us off from the nexus; our only jump point now is to Komarr and Barrayar and *we don’t have a ship*. We’re neutralised. Boxed off. We can’t jump out, and we’re utterly dependent on Barrayar for someone to jump in. We haven’t had a post shuttle for a week and people are starting to notice. If Gregor wants a revolution, there’s not one damn thing any of us can do about it. This is now an independent colony in its very own time of isolation. We need to get our heads out of our asses and think about survival for the people who are stuck here with us.”

No-one spoke. Cordelia finally rang the bell and called for Pym.

“Bring us some coffee and sandwiches please, Pym,” she said. “It looks like we’re in for a long night.”   
Aral said, “and then get started with Kelham and anyone else you can find on taking inventory, please. What do we have, what do we need. We may be on our own for a while.”  
“Yes sir,” Pym said. “Apologies, but there was something else. A package left behind by the Grey Mule. It was unloaded along with Captain Illyan and Lady Vorpatril’s medical supplies and hadn’t been properly inventoried till now I’m sorry to say. The armsman responsible has been reprimanded.”  
“What is it?”  
Pym handed over the package, marked with the Imperial Seal, and addressed in the Emperor’s own hand to “Aral and Cordelia”.

Aral was going to ask if it had been tested for explosives, poisons, but Cordelia simply took it and ripped it open. If Gregor wanted to kill them, he realised, he would probably let him: that had been the point of raising him to be his own man, after all.

“What is it?” Alys asked.

But Cordelia was laughing. Laughing? Or crying? Aral looked into the package and started to do both.

Oatmeal, and blue cheese dressing.


End file.
